Peking University

Peking University is generally considered the no. 1 university in mainland China. Established in 1898, “Beida”- as it is commonly known - was the first modern national university established in China, founded as the "Imperial University of Peking" as a replacement of the ancient Imperial Academy. By the 1920s, it had become a center for progressive thought in China and a breeding ground for the just established Chinese Communist Party. Today, it is a comprehensive research university that encompasses all academic disciplines and attracts only the most talented students, lecturers and researchers from China and abroad.

Alongside Tsinghua University in Beijing and Fudan University in Shanghai, Peking University is consistently ranked as the top higher learning institution in mainland China. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, PKU ranks 42nd, in the QS World University Ranking even 41st.

Apart from its distinguished academic tradition, Peking University is also renowned for its campus grounds, and the beauty of its traditional Chinese architecture. Located next to the Summer Palace, one of Beijing’s premier tourism destinations, the university campus is in the former site of the Qing Dynasty imperial gardens and it retains much traditional Chinese-style landscaping, including traditional houses, gardens, pagodas, as well as many notable historical buildings and structures.